PH seafreight forwarders’ transfer to Marina a hop and skip away

The transfer of supervisory powers over seafreight forwarders from the Philippine Shippers’ Bureau (PSB) to the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) is just a meeting away, according to Marina officer-in-charge Atty. Nicasio Conti.

Conti said the agency is finalizing one final kink, which could be ironed out after the holiday break.

“The agreement is agreed in principle and there is only one thing left to settle,” Conti said in an interview at the sidelines of a get-together with members of the Maritime Journalists Association of the Philippines last week.

“We have scheduled one more meeting to settle the issue on what would be the duty of the PSB or what would happen to the agency once supervisory powers over forwarders are transferred to Marina,” Conti explained.

“After this, we will immediately submit a resolution to the Office of the President for the issuance of an executive order formally transferring the duties from PSB to Marina.”

The proposed resolution would stipulate a transition period for the transfer of functions, personnel and documents related to the registration and accreditation of non-vessel operating common carriers, freight forwarders, cargo consolidators and breakbulk agents.

For the last few years, seafreight forwarders, led by the Philippine International Seafreight Forwarders Association, have lobbied that supervision over the industry be transferred to Marina, an agency of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC). The current regulatory agency, PSB, is under the Department of Trade and Industry.

Airfreight forwarders are already under a DOTC agency, the Civil Aeronautics Board.